How to obtain Japanese citizenship

The attitude towards Japan in the world is ambiguous. But its leading position in foreign policy and economics is undeniable. Nihon Koku (the official name of the state) is a country with a rich spiritual heritage, its citizens respect the past, value the present and care about the future. For a foreigner, life in the Land of the Rising Sun is associated with stability and prosperity. Obtaining Japanese citizenship is not easy. But if a foreigner sincerely wishes to become a resident of an island state and meets all the requirements, then acquiring Japanese citizenship is quite possible.

Registration procedure

An application for a Japanese passport can only be submitted within the country itself. Regardless of the chosen method of acquiring an indigenous person, a foreigner must have lived in the Land of the Rising Sun for at least 3 years at the time of filing the application.

The procedure consists of several stages:

1. Submitting an application in the official language of the country with a full package of necessary papers.
2. Passing two interviews with representatives of the migration and law enforcement services. Employees of government organizations can call the applicant’s work place or neighbors to find out their opinion about this person and his behavior in society.
3. Passing a Japanese language proficiency test and providing a certificate confirming successful completion of the exam.
4. Documentary proof of income.

Attention! Residents of other countries who have opened their own business in Japan, when applying for citizenship, must confirm the availability of funds (not credit) in the amount of at least 25,000 US dollars.

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Requirements for the applicant

To obtain a Japanese indigeneate, a foreigner must fulfill a number of conditions:

1. Provide a document confirming that the citizen is over 20 years old. An exception is dependents who receive citizenship at the same time as their parents.
2. Minimum stay period is 3 years. A foreigner must stay in the country for at least 292 days a year. Years of study at universities in Japan on a student visa are not taken into account.
3. Availability of an official source of income, and its amount must not be less than $2,000 per month.
4. Proficient in written and spoken Japanese.
5. Refusal from the previous indigenous.
6. No intention to commit actions directed against the Japanese government.

Required Documentation

The Japanese are a pedantic people; they scrupulously check the availability and authenticity of documentation. The applicant will have to collect the following package of papers:

• international passport;
• application for indigenous status;
• 2 photos measuring 4.5x4.5 cm;
• resident card;
• original birth certificate;
• income certificate;
• certificate of no criminal record;
• medical certificate confirming the absence of HIV or tuberculosis;
• a certificate confirming passing the exam on knowledge of the state language;
• medical insurance;
• bank account statement.

Employees have the right to request additional documents if they consider the information insufficient.

Where to contact?

An application for Japanese national status is submitted to the Migration Service under the Ministry of Justice of the country. It will not be possible to obtain a passport “remotely” through the embassy in your home country. The nearest address of the migration office can be found on the prefecture’s website.

Deadlines

The procedure for obtaining a new status does not have strict regulatory deadlines. On average, a passport is issued within a year. The timing is affected by the accuracy of compliance with the conditions and requirements.

After submitting the documentation, you will have to undergo an interview, the results of which will determine how long the process will take.

How to obtain a temporary residence permit (RP) in Japan?

There are different types of Japanese temporary residence permit or long-stay visa. Typically issued for a period of 1 year with the possibility of unlimited extension. Among the interesting groups, let us remember students, work visas, visas for highly qualified workers, visas for investors and entrepreneurs, and family visas.

Let's go in order.

Students in Japan are issued a visa for a period from 3 months to 4 years and 3 months with the ability to extend it indefinitely. You read that right – unlimited. At least as long as you continue to get an education. This visa is obtained both by students of language schools, which is highly recommended for everyone, since there is not enough English in the country, and by those entering a full-fledged course at an Institute or University.

You must first obtain a Certificate of Compliance, which will confirm upon arrival in the country that you have arrived for legal activities - and will speed up the remaining procedures. We recommend it for all types of visas, otherwise your verification process will be longer.

If we talk about working permits in Japan , then this is somewhat more interesting. First, the country does not allow low-skilled workers. The lowest-level specialists are technical interns (trainees), who came to Japan to gain real-life experience, but their stay in the country is limited to a maximum of three years.

The rest, by default, should at least be in-demand specialists.

Secondly, different groups of professions receive different visas: researchers, doctors, journalists, lawyers, engineers. Everyone is required to provide proof of qualifications. Moreover, only 6 areas from the entire list (trainers, researchers, engineers, interns, etc.) are required to provide a contract to obtain permission. The rest have the right to find their job locally and then quickly register with the relevant authorities.

By the way, investors and entrepreneurs, according to the classification in Japan, are classified as work visas. But we will talk about them a little below.

Residence permit in Japan for highly qualified specialists

A separate group of foreign workers are highly qualified specialists. They are selected using a point system and, for their experience and knowledge, receive additional bonuses and even easier access to permanent residence.

This visa is issued for 5 years and allows you to bring your family - spouses and children (for a period of 1, 3 or 5 years), plus the applicant's parents with a permit of 6 to 12 months (extendable).

To achieve Highly Skilled Foreign Professional or HSFP status, you must score more than 70 points in a scoring system that takes into account education, experience in the field, income received, knowledge of the Japanese language, academic degrees equivalent to Japanese, or education in Japan.

Fields that HSFPs are most likely to take on include academic research, technical or specialized work, and business management. Now there is an increasing interest in medical personnel who will take care of the aging population and in construction specialties, since the country does not have time to rebuild qualitatively after the cataclysms of recent years (Fukushima, major earthquakes).

Among the benefits that the holder of HSFP status receives, let us remember the following:

• The ability to engage in any commercial and business activity (in other words, to work for hire, to run a business, and to build houses - representatives of ordinary work permits have the right to work only within the limits of their visa);
• The right to obtain a permanent residence permit after 5 years of consecutive residence in the country (instead of the standard 10);
• HSFP spouses are eligible to work full-time with no experience or education requirements;
• HSFP parents also have the right to travel with the applicant;
• And other.

Residence permit for investors and entrepreneurs

In Japan, even the residence permit for entrepreneurs is different from other countries. There is no option here to simply “buy” a permit for investment in the economy or business. Japan requires entrepreneurs and managers to actually operate the enterprise.

The following requirements apply to an applicant for an investor and entrepreneur visa:

• Required to start a business, invest in and be an active participant in a business, or manage the business of another foreigner who resides outside of Japan;
• The office or production facilities must be located in Japan;
• Businesses are required to employ at least two full-time employees in Japan;
• If you are managing a business for another foreigner, then you must have at least 3 years of management experience.

The initial investment in a Japanese company must be from 5 million yen (today it is 47 thousand US dollars).

It is important to note that since this visa is activity-based and not status-based, employment or other commercial activities other than business are not permitted. To do this, you must obtain a separate permit or change your status altogether.

Residence permit in Japan through family reunification

Conventionally, this group is divided into those who come to visit working relatives (on work visas or to highly qualified HSFP specialists) and those who have relatives who are citizens or permanent residents of Japan.

If you come to visit an employee, you have the right to stay with him for up to 5 years, but you will not be able to work. If you come to HSFP, then spouses can work without any restrictions - they can combine any activity, the main thing is within the limits of the law.

Relatives of a Japanese citizen (spouses, children), as well as relatives of a permanent resident, have the right to a residence permit upon arrival with the possibility of accelerated receipt of permanent residence. At the same time, they are allowed to work without additional requirements.

Features of obtaining Japanese citizenship

Experienced migrants know how difficult it is to obtain Japanese citizenship. Moving and finding a job in Tokyo does not give you the right to become an indigenous person of the country. Having a residence permit is a prerequisite for obtaining citizenship. It applies to everyone without exception, including “newly made” spouses.

Before submitting an application, the applicant must renounce the internal passport of another country. An exception is children whose one of the parents is a foreigner.

A resident of another country will have to learn Japanese. To confirm knowledge, they present the “Nihongo noryoku shiken” certificate.

Note! In case of naturalization, citizenship is considered acquired only after the Minister of Justice publishes the relevant information in the Official Gazette.

What contributes to a positive outcome?

On the world stage, Japan ranks third in terms of nominal GDP, fourth in exports, sixth in imports. A decent standard of living and high earnings attract migrants. Given the considerable number of people wishing to settle in Nihon Koku, the government is increasing the requirements for candidates for obtaining an internal passport every year.

The following factors contribute to a positive decision:

1. Registration of a medical policy in the amount of at least 20 thousand yen per year.
2. Pension insurance.
3. Ownership of unencumbered real estate.

Attention! If a foreigner arrived in the country by invitation, as a qualified specialist, and met the expectations of the receiving party, his chances of acquiring Japanese citizenship increase sharply.

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What makes the process difficult?

The Japanese government cares about the moral character and health of its citizens. The issuance of a passport will be denied to persons with a criminal record (even expunged), and those suffering from HIV or tuberculosis.

Non-standard requests from the migration service can complicate the acquisition of an indigenous person. Foreigners intending to immigrate are required to provide a letter from their parents indicating that they are proud that their child will become a Japanese citizen.

Nihon koku authorities may require an original birth certificate and the parents' original marriage certificate.

How can I immigrate to Japan?

Some people make the mistake of contacting the consulate or embassy directly in order to obtain documents for permanent residence. There, a citizen of the Russian Federation can only be given advice on how to move to Japan from Russia. The legal procedure of naturalization itself must take place in a new place, after arriving on a long-term visa or if you have a residence permit.

The most common methods of immigration to Japan are:

• marriage with a citizen of this country;
• reunion with close relatives;
• purchase of real estate or large investments in the economy;
• long-term residence on a work visa, and then on a residence permit.

In exceptional cases, Japanese citizenship can be granted to political refugees, as well as for special merits (scientists, athletes, artists).

For children

Nationality of an island state in most cases is acquired by birth, based on the principle of blood. Children have the right to receive indigenous status if:

• both parents are subjects of Nihon Koku;
• the child's father, who died before his birth, had Japanese citizenship;
• orphans born on the territory of an island state, whose father and mother are not identified;
• one of the adoptive parents is a Japanese citizen.

Note! Parents of children born out of wedlock must officially register the relationship within 3 months after the birth of the child. Otherwise, the child loses the opportunity to obtain citizenship of the country.

Is it possible to have dual citizenship in Japan?

According to the law, dual citizenship is prohibited in the country. In addition, there are mechanisms designed to reduce the incidence of bipatrism. Children who have a passport of another state are required to choose one indigenous identity within two years after reaching the age of majority (20 years old). If there is no choice within the specified period, the Minister of Justice will issue a warning to the person. If within a month after the warning the citizen does not submit documents to obtain an internal passport, he will be deprived of citizenship of the island state.

Japanese citizenship is not easy to obtain. The country makes high demands on foreigners; the applicant must not only meet them, but also be worthy of living in the Land of the Rising Sun. Even if you don’t succeed in becoming a Japanese citizen the first time, the acquired experience, skills, and moral qualities will help improve your quality of life and increase your chances of acquiring a passport when you re-apply.